Confronting Obama with a 'Farrakhan test'
By Steve Benen Tuesday Jan 15, 2008 2:15pm
Two weeks ago, the Washington Post’s Richard Cohen devoted an entire column to criticizing Barack Obama over his use of a statistic — the senator claimed that more young African-American men are in prison than in college — that Cohen insists is false. The columnist used the disputed number, and nothing else, to accuse Obama of “mendacity” and failing to “give a damn” about the truth.
It was a spectacularly dumb column, and an unusually awkward attempt at accusing a presidential candidate of dishonesty. For one thing, Cohen’s piece included obvious errors of fact and judgment. For another, a closer look at the disputed statistic about young African-American men shows that Obama may very well have been correct.
Undeterred, Cohen goes after Obama again yesterday, with an even more ridiculous hit-job.
Barack Obama is a member of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ. Its minister, and Obama’s spiritual adviser, is the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. In 1982, the church launched Trumpet Newsmagazine; Wright’s daughters serve as publisher and executive editor. Every year, the magazine makes awards in various categories. Last year, it gave the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award to a man it said “truly epitomized greatness.” That man is Louis Farrakhan.
Maybe for Wright and some others, Farrakhan “epitomized greatness.” For most Americans, though, Farrakhan epitomizes racism, particularly in the form of anti-Semitism....
It’s important to state right off that nothing in Obama’s record suggests he harbors anti-Semitic views or agrees with Wright when it comes to Farrakhan. Instead, as Obama’s top campaign aide, David Axelrod, points out, Obama often has said that he and his minister sometimes disagree. Farrakhan, Axelrod told me, is one of those instances.
Fine. But where I differ with Axelrod and, I assume, Obama is that praise for an anti-Semitic demagogue is not a minor difference or an intrachurch issue.
I’ve read Cohen’s piece several times now, trying to understand what possessed him to write it (and what possessed his editors to publish it). I’m at a bit of a loss.
At first blush, there’s clearly a degrees-of-separation problem. Obama belongs to a Christian church. The church has a pastor. The pastor has a daughter. The daughter helps run the church magazine. The magazine featured some praise for Louis Farrakhan last year.
Cohen sees this and insists, in his nationally-syndicated column, that Obama has a personal “obligation to speak out” — not because Obama has been connected with Farrakhan or anti-Semitism in any way, but because his church’s pastor’s daughter’s magazine said something complementary about Farrakhan.
This is utterly ridiculous and Cohen ought to be embarrassed for putting his name on such nonsense.
The Denunciation Game can quickly become a slippery slope. Are Roman Catholic presidential candidates expected to denounce their church’s leaders for every controversial comment or decision it’s made? Mike Huckabee is an evangelical Southern Baptist, and it wouldn’t take too long to come up with a fairly lengthy list of contentious remarks from the church’s leadership. Is it incumbent on Huckabee to disavow them all? Billy Graham has been close with the Clintons. Does Hillary have an “obligation to speak out” against some of Graham’s intemperate remarks?
No, of course not. The very suggestion is silly, and yet, it’s the basis for Cohen’s entire column.
Henry Farrell gets the broader context exactly right.
I strongly suspect that Barack Obama is being asked to condemn Louis Farrakhan not because there’s some bogus two-degrees-of-separation thing going on, but because Barack Obama is black, and because black politicians are supposed to condemn Louis Farrakhan before they can be trusted. This isn’t racism, but it’s an implicit double standard, under which black politicians have a higher hurdle to jump before they deserve public trust than white ones. More generally, this is a bad, wrongheaded, and even dangerous article. Richard Cohen shouldn’t have written it, and the Washington Post shouldn’t have printed it.
If recent history is any guide, Democratic supporters of Obama will take Cohen to task for writing inane tripe, and Democratic critics of Obama will suggest that somehow Cohen has a point.
I’d like to think we can reach a point at which Dems can just be Dems, and criticize stupidity, no matter which Democrat is the target. Cohen’s column should be Exhibit A.
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I'm still waiting for Richard Cohen to apologize for Lindsey Lohan.
After all, both are Americans.
Here is a ranking that will answer some inconvenient questions.
Haarezt - The Israel Factor: Ranking the presidential candidates
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerPage.jhtml
Until he's fired for writing hit pieces with no merit or evidence, Richard Cohen exists yet another day to write more hit pieces, until he's sued for slander and libel.
Even then, that might not deter him like a can of ol' fashioned whip-ass would.
Than wouldn't Obama need a Pee-Wee Herman bowtie?
Hmm, Maybe Obama should speak out about those attacking his christian church. #1 it would publicize to the anti-muslim christers that he is, in fact, a christian- Plus he'd can frame his ire as defending Christianity itself from the Right wing media.
Since most right wingers are pushing the three lies that Democrats are anti-religion, that Obama is a muslim, and the media is liberal- its a win-win-win.
These beltway bumpkins keep recycling worldnetdaily talking points
Why are they going after Obama's religion when we've got a Mormon and a snake handler running for Office?
Dude, it is easy as pie to figure out. Obama is a Democrat, and it is the 90s all over again. They fear no retribution for smear jobs, and so they go to work smearing.
Personally, I think they ought to have their asses sued off for defamation.
FTR Huckabee isn't really into snake handling but he seems to be that sort of Christian.
CD @ 7:
Moe Szyslak's running?
Hillary CLinton:
"The top priority of any government is to ensure the safety and security of its citizens, and that is why I have been a strong supporter of Israel's right to build a security barrier to keep terrorists out. I have taken the International Court of Justice to task for questioning Israel's right to build the fence." (Israel and Jordan Trip Report from her web site, November 13, 2005)
Gosh, I didn't even know Hillary supported building the Apartheid Wall, or Berlin Wall if you will, to separate the Palestinians. It seems like everyday brings something new and refreshing, while the arms producers, dealers and their DC lobbyists try to push her and Rudy forward with whatever newspaper writer and talking head they have at their disposal.
Cohen is a staunch defender of the interests of Israel. He sees Israel's interests and America's interests are being one and the same, regardless of the truth of that proposition. Cohen is the worst of the paranoids at seeing and/or ferreting out threats to Israel wherever they might be (his colleague Krauthammer is another). Any criticism of Israeli policy, including its criminal invasions of Lebanon or other acts of the state it sees as a defense of territory, are automatically labeled "anti-Semitic." It's the usual tactic of those with Israel's best interests in mind to cause critics to sit in stunned silence, and no different than someone like a Jesse Jackson who might use the "racist" response to those who disagree with Jackson on policy, in order to get the upper hand in debate.
For the Cohens and Krauthammers and countless others with influential opinions (and a lot of them are not at all Jewish!), anyone who shakes the hand of the hand of the hand that shook Farrakhan's hand is a sworn enemy of Israel and an anti-Semite.
I'm pretty sure that when these guy sign up to be Right Wing Tools, they have their ethics surgically removed, and this usually results in damage to the shame nerve so that they are numb to any and all criticism.
So, Richard Cohen is an idiot. In other news, water is wet, the Pope declared his commitment to Catholicism, and bears defecate in the woods.
It's amazing how Obama has to apologise for EVERY THING his campaign does or his church does or someone who likes him does. If I went out and wrote "Hill4ry sux fat cox" on a bridge, someone would be asking Obama to apologise for it.
Meanwhile, at Hillary's campaign, she has Bob Johnson go off making all kinds of insinuations about Obama, and when Tim Russert asked her, "Was what he said inappropriate?" She said "Yes," and he said "So are you going to ban him from your campaign?" and she said "No."
That's a pretty severe double standard. It's sad that people start attacking someone who's been doing a really good job at bringing people together.
Well, if they get to play this degree of separation game... I think we should play to. For all the Republican candidates. I bet we can tie them to hundreds of felons and white power bigots ... without having to go through their daughter's church magazine.
Muslim, Koran, Farrakhan, Hussein.
Is this the best they can do?
ysbaddaden @ 10:
LOL I was taking at shot at Huckabee who while he isn’t really into snake handling seems to be that sort of Christian.
Oh c'mon...Obama is a Senator..which involves something called POLITICS...why is this a surprise?
Obama attends an "all black church" which champions the Black Value System, and since daughters/sons often times hold the same political/religious beliefs as their parents, it's not too hard to see an all black church, and praise for Louis Farrakhan as being construed that Obama supports these beliefs.
And as far as obama's rabid supporters saying Hillary is in control of her campaign supporters (Johnson, Cuomo) then Obama must be in control of his campaign STAFF (BIG difference) and he himself admits what his supporters on these blogs say NUH UH!!! NO HE DIDN'T raise the race card when he says, "not only in hindsight, but going forward," he regretted that his staff had prodded reporters to pursue the issue"
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/16/democrats-face-off-in-hi...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/12/obama-camps-memo-on-clin_n_8120...
Anyone who says that Hillary's comments on MLK and LBJ are racist, is a dumb one....OBAMA tried to paint this as racial, NOT CLINTON.
AIPAC=Richard Cohen
What's next? I saw Thulsa Doom, played by James Earl Jones in Conan the Barbarian, turn into a snake. Does Cohen worry Obama will turn into a snake too?
Jason B @ 15:
Suggest that when quoting, you include the ENTIRE statments. Hillary's answer
was not just "No", she went into detail as to how Johnson's statsment came about
and how he apologized for such.
The good news is that when it comes to this kind of viscious smear Barack Obama seems to have some kind of teflon protection. Last night in the debate he demonstrated that he was not going to be baited by this kind of garbage. The person who will be most discredited by Cohen's smear is Cohen himself. His op ed piece is a reminder of why many of us consider him to be nothing more than a bigoted fool.
Meanwhile, at Hillary’s campaign, she has Bob Johnson go off making all kinds of insinuations about Obama, and when Tim Russert asked her, “Was what he said inappropriate?” She said “Yes,” and he said “So are you going to ban him from your campaign?” and she said “No.”
The African-American community has already issued Bob Johnson a lamp and directed him to the lawn for those comments.
He will stay on the lawn until he evaporates back into nothingness.
TPM has a story about the Jewish Defamation League's letter regarding attacks on Obama: http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2008/01/jewish_leaders_denounce_antiobama_...
SteveinSC:
Oh...Obama knows AIPAC:
http://cantseetheforest.org/2007/03/06/sen-barack-obamas-apologetics-for...
http://eric-albert.newsvine.com/_news/2008/01/06/1208131-why-obama-cant-...
Guess you can't please everyone, all the time.
Unwarranted adulation. can you criticize someone with whom you have an infatuation? or be critical?
I support Hillary...but I've acknowledged weaknesses in her policy...can obama supporters?
Like many "journalists" of today... Cohen and others are just working for their masters and looking to hold onto their jobs...
In 2007 he criticized the prosecution of Scooter Libby.
He also said on Tuesday, June 26, 2007:
"The war in Iraq is not -- or not yet -- an issue for Republicans."
CD @ 7:
Also, they conveniently ignore Bush's ties to the Saudis going back more than twenty years. Who secretly few the Saudi royal family and relatives of Bin Laden out of the Untied States days after 9-11? Bush! Who speaks out against human rights violations and political oppression in Iran yet militarily supports the most extreme Muslim regime in the world in Saudi Arabia? (Where, by the way, most of the 9-11 hijackers came from.) Bush does! These right wingers have no actual principles or values other than a need to blindly support their authoritarian dictator no matter how much it is against common sense and their own best interests to do so. Worse than mere sycophants, these people must simply be delusional at this point. No surprise there after so many years of warping reality in order to turn the fact that Bush is a total criminal who has destroyed this country into the view that he is a great leader whom history will judge as one of this country's greatest presidents.
I find it odd that you would imply that Richard Cohen is a hatemongering racist then say that it should be a cause for embarrassment.
Doggiebobo @ 22:
How Mr Johnson said "I hope that people didn't think it was the innuendo I was CLEARLY INSINUATING"?
Please, we're not stupid. Every body clearly understand what Bob Johnson was talking about, and he took the easy way out. He didn't even apologise for it, he just said that he didn't want to INSINUATE drug use even though his tone and demeanor clearly did insinuate it.
I don't feel it's necessary to include a whole quote when the remaining context is a lie. Bob Johnson was inappropriate, he lied to get out of it and she said she wouldn't stop him from campaigning for her. That was her decision and Bob Johnson lying about his insinuations doesn't change any of that.
Obama belongs to a church with a minister that is a friend of Louis Farrakhan? How is this an issue? If anything this makes me respect Barrack Obama even more. That means, to me, that at least he is genuinely involved in the black community. He is not scared to associate himself with controversial characters that are tremendous figures in the black community like Farrakhan and Dr. Cornel West. One thing is for sure, we don't hear those "Is he black enough?" questions hardly anymore.
Fuck the Zionist bullcrap from anyone! Im not a fan of Obama but this is the U.S.A. not some kibutz in the middle of the damned desert. I am sick of this.
And just FYI...anytime I leave a respectable pro-Hillary comment on CNN, it never gets approved...what's up with that? I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but really....
I'm sorry, but this is all just spin to try to minimize the damage to Obama -- Rev. Wright has been a huge influence on Obama's life. See pp. 274-295 of Dreams from My Father. That Obama is a churchgoer is crucial to his political image, so it's fair to do research into what type of church he goes to (just as all the writing about Mitt Romney's church was reasonable).
And it's ridiculous to emphasize that this was just Wright's daughter doing something. The name of the award was the Dr. Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award!
Wright went to Libya with Farrakhan in 1984 and now he gives him his highest honor in 2007. That seems to be a pattern, one that Obama has long been utterly aware of.
hockaloogy's finally picked a campaign themesong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCCR2huE2m8
robert @ 2:
It seems Ron Paul is not even on the list. Could it be because he wants to cut off aid to Israel?
Josh @ 26:
Good for him. Everyone should know AIPAC. The Israeli people know better though. Mr. Huckabee 6 Point. Mr. Obama 5 (the last one in the ranking) Ouch. That must hurt...
Do they really think that Mike Huckabee would be more prone to entertain an idea of a full-blown invasion on Iran? If so, we need a president with judgment and persuasion skills BADLY. Especially since some nations need some serious advice on how to work on containing peace, not spreading it.
This sounds like a real stretch to me. I do, however, think there might be something to the "young black men in prison" comment that Obama made. I posted something about this, and a couple of my readers attempted to prove me wrong. The only problem was that the DoJ stats they sent to me confirmed that what Obama said was incorrect. So I think there might still be a need for clarification on that point, but this one just seems absurd.
BAC
Jason, if Hillary is responsible for a supporter, and not a campaign STAFFER, then Obama is surely responsible for a campaign STAFFER, correct? See the huge difference?
And as far as obama’s rabid supporters saying Hillary is in control of her campaign supporters (Johnson, Cuomo) then Obama must be in control of his campaign STAFF and he himself admits what his supporters on these blogs say NUH UH!!! NO HE DIDN’T raise the race card when he says, “not only in hindsight, but going forward,” he regretted that his staff had prodded reporters to pursue the issue”
http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2008/01/obama_i_regret_that_my_campaign_pu...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/12/obama-camps-memo-on-clin_n_8120...
What is racist Jason? A comment from Johnson that was stupid (don't forget he's black), or the comment from Hillary about LBJ and MLK....and how was that racist?
Anyone who says that Hillary’s comments on MLK and LBJ are racist, is a dumb one….OBAMA tried to paint this as racial, NOT CLINTON.
robert @ 37:
violence and terror that is:)
Richard Cohen's loyalty is to Israel, not America.
robert @ 37:
So are you suggesting that everytime a politician sucks up to a particular group, when "the individual Jewish people know better" that he's really just pandering? You know, what Obama's supporters accuse HIllary of?
The phrasing that should have been used about Obama regretting his staff pushing the racist mantra is "...he took the high road, after trying the low road..."
Still I'm glad he admitted his staffers tried to fan the flames, and I respect him more now.
Josh@19 Man are you stupid! I live in Chicago and trust me there are all white, black, latino, and asian churches. Chicago has a long, sorry history of segregation and this is one of the social repercussions of it. Things are slowly changing for the better thankfully. But to blame Sen. Obama and his church for systematic racism is beyond ignorant! I guess according to you the black churches in the Jim Crow south were racist too. If any church (like Mitt Romney's) refused to allow a person because they were different, then you'd have a point, but I've never heard that Sen. Obama's turned someone away for racial reasons. And one more thing stupid....black people didn't invent and perfect American racism. Learn your own history please.
Josh @ 39:
Mark Thompson (i.e. Matsimela Mapfumo) actually said nearly the exact same remarks about MLK and LBJ.
Why be surprised that the WashPost would publish a blatant attack on Obama? Given the conservative editorial line of this once great paper-turned rag, of course they want to de-rail Obama and promote the most conservative Democrap they can: Hillary. For similar reasons, the Post and the whole rotten corporate media totally ignore Kucinich and denigrate Edwards. Though I'm no fan of Obama, I think it's clear that he SEEMS to represent a break with the status quo much more than Hillary could ever do.
You would think. Yet wingnuts are well-known for their utter lack of embarassment or shame.
The pastor's daughter played an extra in Ocean's Twelve. Brad Pitt starred in Ocean's Twelve, and Sleepers. Kevin Bacon plays corrupt pedophile in Sleepers. Therefore, Obama's Bacon number is five, and that's not a good sign.
So Obama belongs to a church
that has a minister,
who has a daughter,
who runs a magaxine
that once gave an award to Louis Farrakham,
who is accused of being anti semitic.
= Obama is anti-semitic
Thanks for pointing out this glaring association, Mr. Zionist pig.
Richard Cohen writes for the WaPo. Charles Krauthammer also writes for the WaPo and says some pretty crazy out-of-this-world things. Therefore Cohen 'knows' Krauthammer and why then
hasn't he spoken out against some of the outlandish things Krauthammer has written?
Why? Because you're right....it's a black candidate test.
Josh @ 19:
Actually, I think the media tried painted this as racial, not either of the candidates.
The media have to cover this thing for another 10 months, gotta generate some ratings!
Che's Lounge @ 49:
Pig ain't kosher.
Richard Cohen is a hack and just a dip. He rarely writes a column that deosn't feature a poor or illogical argument. Steve, I wrote a piece about the earlier article Cohen wrote that you cite, but I'm glad to see you (and many others) giving him deserved heat over this latest drivel.
BlueMD @ 51:
Right on, you have "nailed it">
So, if I understand how this works... Richard Cohen writes for the Washington Post, which published a story about a former congressman who has been charged with financially supporting terrorist organizations, the same terrorist organization that wish to do us harm.
Why does Richard Cohen hate America?
The media needs to constantly fill in articles telling you who is an anti-semite, so they don't have to print articles telling you how many people Israel has killed this week..
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/15/6382/
CD @ 18:
Snake handlers are far, FAR scarier than Huckabee...well...ok maybe not...they're not running for prez...but you know what I mean!
even worse, in footloose, young ren moved to the small town from chicago. and who played ren? none other than kevin bacon!
i rest my case...
I'm getting sick of Obama.
Photos everywhere.
Nobody else.
skippy @ 58:
HA! It's true! Everything is connected to Kevin Bacon!!!
I don't read the WaPo anymore. This kind of stuff is why.
Steve Sailer said: "I’m sorry, but this is all just spin to try to minimize the damage to Obama — Rev. Wright has been a huge influence on Obama’s life. See pp. 274-295 of Dreams from My Father. That Obama is a churchgoer is crucial to his political image, so it’s fair to do research into what type of church he goes to (just as all the writing about Mitt Romney’s church was reasonable). And it’s ridiculous to emphasize that this was just Wright’s daughter doing something. The name of the award was the Dr. Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award! Wright went to Libya with Farrakhan in 1984 and now he gives him his highest honor in 2007. That seems to be a pattern, one that Obama has long been utterly aware of."
Somebody needs to open a window in here, the stench of this racist Steve Sailer is polluting the atmosphere. And, no, I'm not calling him a racist because of the above quote, which is simply idiotic. Hold your nose and visit his web site and you'll see what I'm referring to--an entire career built around bigotry and hatred.
Funny thing was snake handling was a part of the Holy Roller movement in Pentacostalism, although they called it charismatic.
Another funny thing was when they were seized by the spirit, and especially when engaged in glossalalia, they looked everybit as possessed as a Vodun celebrant communing with his loa (also Condomble, Lucumi and Macumba.)
And they call the rest of us cults?
Guess you had to be there.
ysbaddaden @ 63:
The Pentecostals...aren't they the ones who speak in tongues?
As for the other stuff ya said...gotta admit I know naught of what ye speak.
Sounds like Carville to me. I wonder when Hillary and company told him to write it?
What do you call a holy-roller with a lung condition?
Charasthmatic.
Josh @ 39:
There is a HUGE difference between what some guy says from his own bedroom on his own time, and what a Hillary campaign supporter says at a speech he gives while she's sitting RIGHT NEXT TO HIM. She's there, he's speaking with her blessing, he therefore represents her. He did it right under her nose. You cannot excuse that.
I also like how Johnson's comment can't be racist because he's black. Black people can be racist, they can also incite racism and they can spout racist rhetoric, just like any person of any other race.
And Obama did not try to play this as racism, the media did. He called her out on the "false hope" shit she said, she retorted by dissing Martin Luther King and saying that it took a President to make his dream come true (which is completely false, btw - MLK Jr's dream was people not be judged by the color of their skin - anti-discrimination legislation does not change people's minds, it only makes the action of discrimination illegal. There are still LOTS of very racist people out there).
Clinton is the one constantly bringing up race, saying "we shouldn't make this about race or gender" and then go "I'll be the first woman president! Barack is black!"
Plus, she left her name on the ballot in Michigan and she's campaigning in Florida. She plays dirty politics, and the fact that you're trying to blame Obama for every issue that SHE'S started while refusing to call her on her dirty Rove-ian tricks is just sad.
You need to wake up, man.
Josh @ 19:
THIS IS YESTERDAY'S SOAP OPERA. WHO THE HELL CARES?
Glossolalia is talking in tongues.
Funny thing is the Rituale Romanum considers this to be a form of possession that could lead to exorcism.
But then the Western Church considered undecaying bodies to be a sign of possible sainthood, and the Eastern Church for vampires.
DialIn @ 59:
Yeah, great isn't it? We need more Busy photos
Oh' Richard Cohen... STFU!!
Everyday, somewhere in America, Black people hear about our "great" and oh' so wise founding fathers... most of whom were SLAVE HOLDERS. Other times we have to hear about a 'Wilsonian foreign policy' in reference to the unrepentant bigot Woodrow Wilson. Still other times we must suffer as some unenlightened blowhard pines away for the days of Ronald 'States Rights' Reagan. Bill Bennett, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have use of American airwaves to court their gleefully prejudice listeners. Andy Rooney has a special segment on one of the country's best news shows, on which he once told people of African descent that what HE thinks we should call ourselves is a better choice than what we've chosen we should call ourselves.
It seems to me, and many people I know, that white people are allowed their bigotry because no one defines them by it. People who are not white, on the other hand, must be the sit in front of the campfire singing kum-ba-ya - embrace all others except those who look like you - deny there is any racial disharmony or discrimination in the country except for what is caused by those who look like you kind of person.
It's all such B***S***.
liberalNmoderation @ 57:
I can never figure out if I should admire snake handlers for their convictions or scorn them for their stupidity.
In the Case of Huckabee I can't figure out if he's a theocrat a populist or both but the media should be making a bigger deal about the theocrat possibility than they are.
Cohen has, for some time now, been one of the many absurd and imbecilic air heads comprising the punditocracy. Why the likes of Novak, Brooks, Kristol, Cohen, etc., are given any space at all is beyond me. They don't deserve any attention.
Isome@71 Totally agree. One thing I have never understood is when SOME white people think that they are the last word on what is and is not racism. The very people who have perpetrated this disease on non-whites throughout the history of our nation. Look, if you really understand what racism is, stop practicing it. Until that is done, I don't have any respect for your views on race.
The syllogism, as applied to black politicians:
1) Black person A has said or done something silly or offensive.
2) Candidate B is black.
3) Therefore, B must explicitly repudiate A or else be assumed to agree with him.
At least Cohen tried to make a connection, however farfatched, between Omaba and Farrakhan other than skin color. Most such commentators don't even bother.
ysbaddaden @ 69:
It only counts when you speak in tongues if someone is there to "interpret" for you. If noone can 'understand' your glossolalia you are considered to be possessed by a demon.
Josh @ 26:
Sorry, I support Edwards and the United States of America. Our policies should be policies of our own, not the result of some "hand up your leg" newspaper shills for other governments.
You think this is bad? Just wait until he's the nominee.
This election is going to get ugly, and it's going to get stupid, and if Bloomberg enters the race, absolutely anyone could be our next president.
Have fun America, Silly Season is upon us again. And you thought it was already here didn't you.
the repugs have NO shame, so calling them on their lies means nothing.
President Bush passed a tax cut.
It didn't show up on my tax return.
I have a hemorroid (sp?).
Bush needs to speak up about it.
Fanon @ 76:
That's how the Delphic Oracle worked, with babbling women zonked on volcanic fumes, and official interpreters from the Apollo priesthood interpreting.
Is this the noone to understand your glossolalia?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HhLTvG9w_o
Yes, Josh, I support Obama. I too acknowledged the weaknesses in his policy.
He is a much better choice than the Dynastic Hillary Clinton
...nothing new here. Same old same old.
I'm an Obama supporter, but it disturbs me that he would be associated with a church that supports a hater like Farrakhan. Disagreeing with his pastor is not enough: intolerant fuckwads need to be denounced, be they Jerry Falwell or Louis Farrakhan.
Of course one would expect better of a nationally-syndicated columnist, but maybe Cohen was taking a cue from the blogosphere, which is littered with desperate people playing these tortured, mean-spirited games of "connect the dots" in a vain attempt to "prove" they have some special insights or inside knowledge in regards to whatever insane conspiracy theory they're pushing.
Why does Obama have to denounce his church's decision? He doesn't own the church, they make their own decisions without him. He said he disagreed with their choice to make Farrakhan their man of the year, and guess what? They have every right to make that choice. And Obama has every right to disagree with them, which he did.
It's called TOLERANCE. We used to have it backw hen this country really respected the first amendment.
Jason, you have to understand, black people are potential humans — they haven't evolved yet. Also, murder and lying comes easy for black people.
How would you feel about someone who said that?
The same Washington Post that regurgitated the madrasa smear? What happened to this newspaper?
The more they pull this kind of shit the more supporters, jump on board to support him and I am speaking of good decent people from all walks of life.
Richard Cohen must be a CIA plant.
Obama on Reagan today:
"...but I think, when I think about great presidents, I think about those who transform how we think about ourselves as a country in fundamental ways...And, you know, there are circumstances in which, I would argue, Ronald Reagan was a very successful president, even though I did not agree with him on many issues, partly because at the end of his presidency, people, I think, said, “You know what? We can regain our greatness.
WTF? Anybody who is still convinced this guy is a progressive needs to up the meds. He's been bought and paid for by big energy (Nukes), big pharma and big bizness.
Mellanie Jonze @ 82:
Better the "same old same old" the the new Reagan. Jesus H. Christ!
Jason B @ 85:
And when was that exactly?
Don't forget about http://www.freeatlast2008.com/
Ah, the Hillbots descend to stir up the dirt...
Is this the paid east coast night-shift or the west coast end of the day shift of "Paid Blogging Shills for Hillary?"
And, I really love when the post starts:
"I'm an Obama supporter, BUT"....
And they post something an Obama supporter would not
get near with a ladder...Nice try, that
Thanks for the laughs guys, and, OH, I think someone just posted
a Pro Obama diary over at Daily Kos...
Time to head on over and spread the poo....
Richaed Cohen has been senile since 1977. I don't regard what senile people say as relevent to the discussion.
What? Is Israel holding all candidates their captives? Poor candidates, they have to pas s the Israeli test to be nominated.
LOL
Everyone knows that Obama has his own thoughts independent of his church.
For example, the United Church of Christ supports the rights of gay people to marry, but Obama doesn't.
The beltway reporters have neither the bawlz or ability to do what the presidential contenders are doing, but they want to control the outcome anyway. So they talk to each other on WashingtonWeek or MeetThePress etc, rate each other's poll, and figure the populace eventually comes to their conclusion through osmosis.
It's happened too often with writers like Cohen that Black people must speak out against other Black people so others can place all the Black people in the good boy or bad boy box.
Cohen must be going crazy that he has more than been trivialized into a drying ink frenzy by Obama. Or Cohen doesn't understand he is yesterday's news.
Why doesn't Crooks and Liars report how Clinton recycled an old NAACP endorsement? I said that the timing was suspicious.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/clinton-recycles-an-old-naacp-endors...
The campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) recycled a nine-month-old endorsement from an NAACP leader earlier this week when the discussion about race in the Democratic primary reached a fever pitch and a new poll indicated that black voters were sharply breaking for Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).
The campaign announced that California NAACP President Alice Huffman endorsed the former first lady on Monday, adding that this coincided with the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday (which was on Tuesday).
However, an entry on Clinton’s campaign blog from April 27, 2007, shows that Huffman was among a slew of “leading Californians” who publicly supported the senator.
The endorsement announcement was clearly aimed at showing that Clinton had significant African-American support amid intensifying criticism of her remark on former President Lyndon Johnson’s involvement in passing the Civil Rights Act. Some interpreted Clinton’s comment as diminishing the role of Dr. King in the civil rights movement.
WashStateBlue @ 94:
That's the sort of binary simplistic thinking I'd expect from the right. Any honest person will acknowledge that no candidate is perfect. The inability to admit to any flaws in one's candidate of choice is pathological.
I'm deeply dismayed that Obama belongs to a church that celebrates a homophobe who thinks white people are sub-human liars and murderers. I still prefer him to Hillary. So maybe you should think before you start calling people names. It is ironic that you would call anyone a "Hillbot", when your thinking is so robotic.
I'm bothered by this "link" to Obama too, but authors point that:
"At first blush, there’s clearly a degrees-of-separation problem. Obama belongs to a Christian church. The church has a pastor. The pastor has a daughter. The daughter helps run the church magazine. The magazine featured some praise for Louis Farrakhan last year."
The blogger obfuscates that this magazine that praised Farraken is Obama's church magazine. I'm sorry but when you join an organization you can't just pretend that you don't really have anything to do with it, even if you disagree with parts of it. Btw, I'm a little bothered that he belongs to any church at all.
Yep, no matter who you like, it's pretty stupid to pretend their shit don't stink.
Richard Cohen = alter cocker.
Isn't Cohen a big Hillary supporter? I've always seen his columns as carrying water for Clinton's campaign...just like Paul Krugman these days (Sigh).
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/rnr/536361814.html
Obama belongs to a Chicago megachurch with 8000 members, all black. Their motto:
“We are a congregation which is unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian,” says the Trinity United Church of Christ’s website in Chicago. “We are an African people and remain true to our native land, the mother continent, the cradle of civilization.”
Ironically, Obama has voted along with the far right regarding Iraq, votes which support the massacre of brown people.
Maybe Barak is trying too hard to prove to whites how really white he can be. Blacks really are voting against their own self interest with Obama.
I wonder how much 'faith based' dollars his church gets.
Wake up people. Vote Progressive.
Did anyone catch on the Jan. 16th Hannity & Colmes how Sean Insanity brought up Cohen's article in an election segment like it was some fact-based study and posted the question how Obama could possibly be in a church that supports an "anti-Semite and racist" [Farrakhan]??
Hysterical.
Since when in the last 30 years has the WaPo had any credibility?
The New York Times
January 17, 2004
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/opinion/17thu3.html?ref=opinion&pagewa...
"After watching the subject of race intrude on the primaries last week, and become even more prominent this week, we were relieved that Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama called a truce Tuesday night.
It was clearly her side that first stoked the race and gender issue."
Tom @ 55:
Yes. Yes he does.
Obama has an "obligation" to speak out becuase this could damage his campaign especiakly if he's the nominee in a general eleciton. Thats why Cohen brought it up, becuase he knows republicans will if we dont. It goes to Obamas electability.
This is about politics not that Obama goes to a church that has a nutty preacher whose daughter has a magazine that praised Farrakhan. Does that mean Obamas a nut too? No. But it does mean that it could damage him in a general election.
Why he chose to go to this radical chruch I dont know. But he's definitely going to lose votes because of it.
This is really sad. Obama actual words are reported to be:
"I don't want to wake up four years from now and discover that we still have more young black men in prison than in college."
PRISON. PRISON was Obama's actual word of choice. Not jail. The juvee. PRISON.
Mark Kleiman's calculations explicitly include "blacks in jail (as opposed to prison)."
Kleiman was stacking the deck all the way around even while accusing others of choosing the numbers they wanted to make the point they wanted to make. Funny how that works. Since Kleiman didn't like what they (Murray/Dobbs) chose then Kleiman decides to "restrict" the numbers arbitrarily on his own. All you have to do is look at the Census Excel sheet to see how there are just as many, if not more black males, enrolled at two-year schools for their 1st and 2nd years of college as there are in 4 year schools.
We all know that college is expensive and a lot of students without substantial scholarships, if they have any at all, go to community colleges, etc. to off-set the cost of higher education and later transfer to 4 years schools. It's pretty obvious why Kleiman didn't want to include those numbers in his calculation. What remains a mystery is why he or anyone would feel compelled to stack the deck to try to give the impression that there actually are more young black men in prison/jail than there are in college.
If we go by the totals for all black males in college who were under age 35 with no regard for whether they were enrolled part or full-time or what kind of school they were in (4 year college vs. 2 year college) then this is what the Census numbers show:
For black males in the 15-to-19 year old bracket there 202,000 enrolled in at least some classes in at least some kind of college. For black males between 20-to-24 years old another 337,000 were enrolled in some kind of college for class(es). Add to that another 171,000 for black males age 25-to-34 and you get more than the 380,000 Kleiman's stacked deck calculation came up with, not to mention a more honest picture of the situation.
Calculating all "young" black males under age 35 who were enrolled in any type of college class, at any time of college we get: 710,000. Just counting "young" black males under 25: 539,000.
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